One of the things I hope to do sometime, sooner rather than later, is to be able to go to Munich, Germany, and raise a stein while singing drinking songs and partaking in the 16-day greatness that I imagine is Oktoberfest. But meanwhile (and thankfully), Barracks Row Main Street has brought the charm and spirit of the original Bavarian festival to Eighth Street SE and has added tons of local flavor, color and spice. Do not dare miss all the excitement coming to Barracks Row on September 26th, from 11 am to 5 pm; because, frankly, if you’re not into food or beer or camaraderie or free displays of culinary heroism or tactical precision, I am stumped as to what you could ever like.
If you do want to attend (and I know you do!), there are a few highlights to plan your visit after the jump:
Local Flavor: Not only will the 8th street restaurants be hosting beer gardens, but the Military Chefs will try to establish their dominance as the Military Culinary competition pits Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard to see whose grub will come on top as they face a 30-minute mystery ingredient challenge.
Local Color: There will be 75 (!) different booths with everything from Arts and crafts to strudel and pretZels to keep you amused, fed, happy, and possibly started with your holiday shopping. Also, there will be many kinds of cool cars on display– from that pinnacle of Cold War engineering, the thoroughly inconvenient yet iconic Trabant (Sample Trabant joke: How do you double the value of a Trabant? Fill up the tank!) to those adorable green mini-limousines known as e-cruzers.
Local Spice: Both the Washington Redskins cheerleaders and the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon will be there to dazzle with their talent and titillate with their cool moves.
Furthermore, the gorgeous 1806 landmark House of the Commandants –spared by the British during the Burning of the Capitol in 1814– will be open for hourly tours. There will also be a petting zoo and moon bounces for the little ones, and German bands will play throughout the day spreading cheer and camaraderie around 8th Street SE and beyond.
Pencil it in: Saturday, September 26th from 11 am to 5 pm, 8th Street SE between G and I (Eye) streets! For more information, visit the Barracks Row Main Street website www.barracksrow.org.
Be there or be a Wiener (Schnitzel).